Reversible heel attachment.



PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

C. O. FRANK. REVERSIBLE HEEL ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 1904.

QWhNMca SUM/ MM STATES Patented May 2, 1905.

PATENT OrricE.

CHARLES O. FRANK, OF PORT HURON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO WILLIAM N. HARPER, OF PORT HURON, MICHIGAN.

REVERSIBLE HEEL ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 789,089, dated May 2, 1905.

Application filed May 4, 1904. Serial No. 206.390.

To (all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES O. FRANK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Port Huron, in the county of St. Clair and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reversible I-Ieel Attachments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in heels for boots or shoes, and is especially applicable for soft-tread shoes, wherein the heel proper is provided with a detachable member of rubber or suitable similar material.

The principal object of the invention is to construct the heel attachment in two sec tions, so as to enable the rear portion of one of the sectional members, or that portion which is most generally worn away, to be re placed by the unworn portion of said member, whereby a reversible heel-plate is provided.

To more fully describe the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, illustrating the same, in which like characters refer to the same parts in the several views,-

and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved attachment applied to the heel of a boot or shoe, and Fig. 2 a perspective view of the two members of said attachment shown disassociated.

1 is the heel proper of the boot or shoe, A the fixed member, and B the reversible member of the heel attachment.

As clearly illustrated, the fixed member A comprises a rear transverse portion provided with rearwardly-projecting arms, the outer peripheral face of which is adapted to conform to the contour of the heel and the interior portion of said member being so cut away as to form substantially the mortise member of a dovetail .joint, that portion of the peripheral surface of said member form ing the rear wall of said mortise-recess being of curved conformation, as at a, and continuing forwardly and inwardly from a to the edge indicated at a and thence forwardly and outwardly, meeting the exterior portion of the peripheral surface at the edge a thus forming the inwardly-directed angular projections (13. The construction of this member A is of such proportions that the distance from the edge a to the end of the heel proper is equal to the distance from the bend a to the rear of the recess.

The reversible member B comprises a substantially double dovetail tenon curved peripherally, as at I), and provided with the central angular recesses 7), adapted to register with the angular projection a one of the curved faces I) being adapted to fit snugly against the curved face a of the member A and the other curved face of the double tenon member being adapted to register with the rear portion of the heel proper.

The fixed member A is secured, as shown, by suitable fastening means, such as the screws C, countersunk within the apertures 0, while the reversible member B is securely held in position within the mortise member by suitable securing means, such as the central screw D, passing through an aperture having countersunk recesses d on the opposite faces of the reversible member.

The advantage of my improved attachment is apparent, as it will readily be seen that when the rear portion of the detachable member B is Worn down by unfastening the securing means D the position of the member B may be reversed, the unworn portion supplanting the worn portion at the rear of the heel proper.

It is obvious that modifications within certain limits might be made without departing from the spirit of my invention; but

What I claim is As an improved article of manufacture, a soft-tread heel-plate for boots and shoes, consisting of two elastic members, one member conforming in outline to the forward wall of the heel and provided with rearwardly-extending arms having inwardly-directed projections, connected by a curved wall having an outline conforming to the contour of the of which will fit in the said dovetail mortise, rear wall of the heel, and forming thereby a substantially as described. ro substantially dovetail mortise, and the other In testimony whereof I affix my. signature member constructed with recesses substanin presence of two witnesses.

5 tially at the center of its sides connected by 1 CHARLES O. FRANK.

curved walls having outlines also conformin VVitnesses-z to the contour of the rear wall of the hee FRANK L. ORR, forming a double dovetail tenon either end LINCOLN E. BRODT. 

